Johan
Santana - NYM
The Mets finally gave in and realized the 2009 season was
a lost cause, so the inept medical staff gave the OK for Johan Santana to have
season ending elbow surgery.
Fortunately (Unfortunately?), he had a similar procedure performed in
2003 and we all saw his quick ability to recover. The injuries have us concerned but so does the steady declines
over the past 3 years. His K/9 ratio,
BAA, and WHIP have all been going in the wrong direction. Santana is likely to benefit from a “little”
more run support and Citi Field is a “little” better for pitchers, but the
defense behind him is a bit suspect.
Risk Level: Medium-Low- Santana appears ready for a
bounce back. He’s been a top-10 fantasy
pitcher for the past several years, so we’re willing to give him another chance
if the appropriate value presents itself.
Jake Peavy - CHW
Peavy
rejected the initial trade to the White Sox, but eventually gave in and made
his A.L. debut after a 3-month layoff.
Perhaps, he knew what was in store.
His career home and road splits are prominent (2.82 ERA at home / 3.79
on the road) and he’ll be headed to a much more difficult home field while
having to face a DH instead of the pitcher slot. However, he put up solid outings in a brief sample at the end of
2009 going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP.
Risk
Level: Medium-high -Coming off ankle and arm problems while switching to the American
League has us nervous. However, a full return to health should yield a solid #3
or 4 fantasy starter.
Brandon
Webb - ARZ
Webb’s
comeback already hit a snag. He
apparently experienced a “dead arm” and was subsequently shutdown. Right now, it looks like the earliest we’ll
see him is in May. Hopefully he doesn’t
pull a “Chris Carpenter.” We’re not
referring to the stellar 2009 campaign – we’re talking about the brief return
in ’08 only to end up missing the majority of two consecutive seasons.
Risk
Level: High - Webb has every tool you want in a front-line #1 fantasy pitcher,
but you have to be cautious and not expect glowing results.
More Injured
Pitchers
Ben
Sheets - OAK
A
10-million dollar deal isn’t bad for a pitcher who didn’t even take the mound
last year. He has plenty of upside, but
has only crossed the 200 IP mark three times in his 9-year career. If you’re in a strict AL-only league, take
note. If Sheets performs well, he’ll be
the first person on the trading block.
Tim
Hudson - ATL
Hudson missed most of 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He pitched in 7 games going 2-1 with a 3.86
ERA and 1.46 WHIP. There have been
several very favorable reports over Hudson’s progress this spring, so he’s
shaping up to be a nice sleeper.
Chien
Ming Wang - WAS
When
opposing clubs deem you 3 months away, that’s enough to scare us. He should probably be back in
late-April/early-May, but is he worth the wait?
Justin
Duchscherer - OAK
Duchscherer
lost 2009 because of injury issues compounded by anxiety issues. He’s quite productive when healthy, but
that’s the problem, he’s rarely 100%.
One-half
of the Toronto Blue Jays potential starting staff
Take
your pick. We’re not faulting new GM
Alex Anthopoulos for collecting potential starters. He’s made some bold moves and we’d probably do the same if our
pitching staff were in such shambles.
It looks like Shaun Marcum will be the Opening Day starter, so he may be
the best option by default.
Jake
Westbrook - CLE
Believe
it or not, Westbrook’s rehab from Tommy John surgery appears to be on
track. He may even be the tribe’s
Opening Day starter.
Eric
Bedard - SEA
Fool
me once, shame on you. Fool me twice,
shame on me. Fool me three times? Well, he won’t be back until mid-year, so
there’s plenty of time to snap out of it.
Jeff
Francis - COL
Francis
has had plenty of time to heal and faces less than powerful lineups in the NL
West, but he still has a long way to go.
Edinson
Volquez - CIN
Volquez
may miss all of 2010. He’ll try to
return in the middle of the season, but that’s optimistic.
